Mum issues warning signs of cancer
A Birmingham mum is raising awareness about the warning signs of a rare type of blood cancer after her son was diagnosed with the disease.
Four-year-old Marley Bourne has Acute Myeloid Leukemia and is being cared for at our Children’s Hospital where he has undergone chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants.
His mum Shaunna told how he had been diagnosed aged two after she noticed bruising across his body . She hopes to help other families by raising awareness of the symptoms.
She said: “When he first became unwell, we never thought for a second it was cancer.
“ He’d been poorly for months beforehand and he kept getting recurring infections.
“He had so many bruises and was constantly tired, but we thought it was normal for his age.”
Shaunna recalled how the youngster had been diagnosed: “ He’d developed a rash from his neck all the way down to his groin, and we thought it was a viral infection at first and tried antibiotics.
“On Boxing Day, he couldn’t put weight on his legs, so we took him to A&E and after some blood tests we were referred to the Children’s Hospital where we were told the devastating news.”
Acute Myeloid Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells and can progress quickly and aggressively.
Marley started his first round of chemotherapy within weeks of the diagnosis , and after five long months, the family were told he’d gone into remission and was able to ring the bell to signal the end of cancer treatment.
However, 10 months later , a regular check-up revealed his platelet levels were down and he had relapsed.
She said: “It was devastating. He was only three at the time, and it had been a lot to go through from the initial diagnosis to treatment and then finding out it had come back.
“We came back for another round of chemotherapy, and this time he needed a stem cell transplant.
“We assumed he would respond the same way as he had before, but it hadn’t worked.
Shaunna added: “He went on a new trial medication to try to bring the bone marrow down to a level where he could have the stem cell transplant.
“It was a really nerve-racking time.”
Marley went onto the medication for 15 days , and he was able to have his first stem cell transplant in July 2024.
Shaunna added: “He handled it so well, we were thrilled to see him starting to feel better.
“He had bad days, but he started playing again and was so much more himself.
“Nine w eeks after the transplant, we were able to ring the bell for the second time, and we went home just in time for his fourth birthday which was really special.”
After going into remission for the second time, Marley was seen twice a week and had regular check-ups and tests.
In March 2025, seven months later, Shaunna got a phone call from his consultant asking them to come in the next day.
She said: “Our hearts just dropped, we knew that it was bad news .
“We didn’t sleep that entire night going over the worst-case scenario in our heads.
“We were told there were changes to his bone marrow, and it could be an early sign of the cancer returning.”
Marley had more regular tests, and sadly in June 2025 he relapsed for the third time.
He went through another grueling round of chemotherapy along with the trial drug and had a second stem cell transplant a few months later.
Shaunna said: “ He’s got a long road ahead of him, but we’re beyond proud of how well he’s handled things.
“He’s been through unimaginable things, and we really want to raise awareness of some of the symptoms to look out for so that hopefully other parents can know to look out for these things.”